Molecular analysis of bacterial microbiota in the gut of the termite Reticulitermes speratus (Isoptera; Rhinotermitidae)

The molecular diversity and community structure of bacteria from the gut of the termite Reticulitermes speratus were analyzed by the sequencing of near-full-length 16S rRNA genes, amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The results of the analysis of 1344 clones indicated a predominance of spirochetes in the gut. Spirochetal clones accounted for approximately half of the analyzed clones. The clones related to Bacteroides, Clostridia, and the candidate division Termite Group I each accounted for approximately 5-15% of the analyzed clones. The rest were comprised of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Mycoplasma and others. Using the criterion of 97% sequence identity, the clones were sorted into 268 phylotypes, including 100 clostridial, 61 spirochetal and 31 Bacteroides-related phylotypes. More than 90% of the phylotypes were found for the first time, and some constituted monophyletic clusters with sequences recovered from the gut of other termite species. (C) 2003 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.